Not A Martyr, Not Today
by Jasperemerald23
Summary: It was a suicide mission. Yet she still volunteered. (Very OC centric.)


**So, uh, I'm back, I suppose.**

**Sorry for the writing hiatus, I had writer's block and I was tired of critiquing my work so harshly. But here's a story to tide you over for now. I'm probably not going to be writing as much as before, but every now and again, if I'm lucky, I'll put something out. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. :)**

* * *

Chaos. That was the best way to describe it. The world around them was in complete and utter chaos.

Grimm were everywhere, the air filled with shrieks and yelling and gunfire. Delicately stepping over a dead Ursa, Lila could see Ruby swinging her gigantic scythe over to her right, Zel firing at an almost inhuman speed and Ren and Nora working as a team to overcome a large Boarbatusk. Despite the current hopefulness of the situation, she knew it was only a matter of time before even more Grimm showed up and overwhelmed them. They would lose. She couldn't lose. Not again.

As Pyrrha pulled her spear out of the last Grimm in the area, a distant roar pierced the air around them, causing everyone to look to the distant hillside.

"There's more." Lila's quiet voice broke the silence.

"More? How can there be more?" Zel said, leaning heavily on her bow. "There are so many bodies here, we can practically call Grimm an endangered species!"

"We're outnumbered, we need to escape while there's still time." Ren said.

"The Grimm are faster than we are. They would outrun us in a matter of minutes." Pyrrha countered.

"Maybe we could just… Run fast?" Jaune suggested sheepishly, but at the exasperated looks of his teammates, quickly said "Too fast for us. Got it."

"We need a distraction. Something to buy us some time!" Ruby said.

"What, are we supposed to find a jar of honey to slow down the Beowolves? We're in the middle of the forest, where are we supposed to find a distraction?" Weiss snapped.

"One of us needs to stay behind."

One by one everyone turned to face the violet-clad girl.

"No… You're not seriously thinking of taking all of them on by yourself, are you?" Yang asked, her eyes wide. "It's a suicide mission, you'll be dead in a second!"

"You need time. I can buy you that time." Lila said simply, as if they were simply chatting about the weather.

"Lila, we need to stay together." Blake said.

"If we stay together, we might as well walk to the Grimm and ask them to kill us." Lila replied in that same frighteningly calm voice.

"But-" Zel started to interject, but Lila turned to her before she could protest any more.

"Please."

Zel's words froze in her throat as brown eyes met amber. Before, Lila had been freakishly calm, even as she talked about the very real possibility of her dying painfully at the claws of the beastly Grimm.

Now, she was pleading. _Please get out. Run as far as you can._

_ I don't want to lose you too._

"You heard the suicidal blondie." Varda's voice broke the silence. "Let's get out of here."

Lila gripped her wands in her hands, pushing the ends together and forming a gleaming silver staff. "I'll buy you as much time as I can. But you guys need to move quickly."

Heads were nodded, and even an emotional Nora quickly wrapped her arms around Lila tightly before being pried off by Ren.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her in a low voice. Lila nodded, for once ignoring the slight blush that darkened her pale cheeks.

"Just go. They'll be here soon."

Ren bowed his head and gently lead Nora away. The others followed suit, and Lila exhaled slowly and turned back toward the hill, now blackened by an army of Grimm.

They were here.

Long fingers tightened around Seior and Galor, then one hand was removed to quickly swipe a lone tear from her face. She couldn't feel fear. She had to be brave. For her teammates.

For her friends.

Seior and Galor was suddenly forced into the earth as Lila planted the end firmly in the ground and used it to swing her feet into the face of the nearest Beowolf. Then yanked out of the ground and the end hurled into an Ursa. And another one. And another.

They just kept coming.

A claw came out of nowhere and Lila quickly brought up her staff to block the blow, but now she was off balance. A nearby Boarbatusk used the opportunity to charge into her side, knocking her weapon from her grasp and flinging her onto the ground several feet away, sending up clouds of earth and dirt. Groaning slightly, she shut her eyes, waiting for the final blow that should have been dealt years ago, when she was a child.

It never came.

Suddenly, footsteps. Footsteps?

Wait.

Lila opened her eyes to see Zel Yesil swinging her sharp, curved bow into the flesh of the surrounding Grimm.

"You stupid-"

Slash.

"Freaking-"

Slash.

"-Idiot!"

She could hear the Boarbatusk's squeals.

"You would have died! I would have had to come back to find your cold dead body lying in a field of Grimm!"

Roaring. So much roaring.

"And all because you wanted to play hero. Ms. Lila Völva Holda: The Huntress Martyr! Well…"

Slashing again.

"TOO-"

Pained squeals of Ursa and Beowolf alike.

"-DAMN-"

Whimpers.

"-BAD!"

Silence.

A quiet thump beside her as Zel planted the blade of her bow into the ground and gazed over the sea of Grimm.

"You would have died. How would I move on after that?"

"But I didn't." Zel smirked and turned around, holding out a gloved hand for her friend to take.

"Only because I risked my butt and left the others to help you." Lila took her hand and allowed herself to be pulled up, keeping one hand hovering protectively over her heavily bruised side.

"Where is everyone else? Are they safe? You didn't run into anything else, did yo-"

"Relax. They're far enough ahead to be able to get back to Beacon without much trouble." Lila nodded, and together they started the long trek back to the academy.

A few minutes later, Zel turned her head, grinning.

"Are we just going to save each other's lives for the rest of time?" Lila smiled.

"I suppose that's why we're friends."

"Damn right it is."

* * *

"Hey, you think with this near-death experience you'll finally ask Ren out?"

"Shut up."


End file.
